Houthi rebels’ control of Red Sea oil chokepoint exposes deep divisions in Brics Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham How Iran draws citizens into political surveillance Arash Beidollahkhani, University of Manchester There is a long history of bribery in US politics – is Donald Trump continuing it? Andrew Gawthorpe, Leiden University Banking scandal rocks Brazil’s politics and the country’s presidential election in October Guilherme Casarões, Florida International University Why strengthening ties with the Global South was a top priority for Putin’s recent diplomacy blitz Alexey D Muraviev, Edith Cowan University Sudan’s military is accused of using chlorine bombs: here’s how they work and what the law says Anneleen van der Meer, Leiden University Can people truly walk away from terrorism? Inside the slow work of rehabilitation Ramon Spaaij, Victoria University; Debra Smith, Victoria University, and Muhammad Iqbal, Victoria University Ancient teeth reveal the Ice Age origins of the world’s 4th most common addictive drug Adam Brumm, Griffith University; Carney D. Matheson, Griffith University; Fakhri, Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN); Melandri Vlok, Charles Sturt University, and Roger Papke, University of Florida Physicists zoom into the birth of cosmic rainstorms with new CERN study Jesse Liu, New York University New world map makes Africa look bigger: what’s the fuss about? Cartographers explain Jack Swab, University of Tennessee and Derek H. Alderman, University of Tennessee E1: the illegal settlement at the heart of the UK’s West Bank trade ban Rory McCarthy, Durham University African Union peacekeeping is growing as UN missions decline: research finds a mixed record of success Richard Fosu, Monash University; Ayotunde Giwa, Northern Arizona University, and Christopher Amrobo Enemuwe, Idaho State University Himalayan hazards are becoming more complex. Our warning systems need to catch up Mehebub Sahana, University of Manchester; Nimesh Dhungana, University of Manchester; Priyank Pravin Patel, Presidency University, Kolkata, and Reshma Shrestha, Kathmandu University Portugal decriminalized drugs 25 years ago, but the real lesson is what it built around this policy Karyn Sporer, University of Maine and Robert Glover, University of Maine DRC’s Ebola epidemic could be the worst in history: 4 things that could help end it Yap Boum, Mbarara University of Science and Technology and Marie Roseline Belizaire, Universidad de Alcalá Journeying through Syria’s shattered cities as they move from war to peace Osman Bahadir Dincer, Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC) ; Bahar Baser, Durham University, and Zeynep Sahin Mencütek, Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC) Ratko Mladić: the war criminal who became a martyr for Bosnian Serbs Isabella Podwinski, The Conversation and Justin Bergman, The Conversation Xi, Putin and Modi looking in different directions as Shanghai Cooperation Organisation marks 25th anniversary Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham Germany: why the AfD won in Saxony-Anhalt – and what happens next Ed Turner, Aston University UK plan to sanction Israel’s illegal West Bank settlements is a historic shift in tone and policy Mohamed Ibrahim Hafez, Nottingham Trent University DRC’s cobalt exports contain unreported uranium – our study estimates the global nuclear risk Ryan A. Manzuk, University of Wisconsin-Madison Democracy meatballs: why IKEA is the place for Swedes abroad to vote Nina Hillenberg, Torrens University Australia How ‘egalitarian’ Sweden became more comfortable with wealth Håkan Johansson, Lund University and Axel Vikström, Lund University A landmark UN report says the world will overshoot the 1.5°C climate target. What happens now? Jacqueline Peel, The University of Melbourne and Wesley Morgan, UNSW Why Pacific Island states should seek collective security for the region Anne-Marie Brady, University of Canterbury Inside the booming ‘shadow fleet’ industry keeping rogue states afloat Understand what's going on in the world The music that made Dolly Parton a global icon Bayeux tapestry: Matilda of Flanders – the woman who was instrumental to William the Conqueror’s success Natasha R. Hodgson, Nottingham Trent University Robert Harris returns to ancient Rome with Agrippa – a novel about an empire’s forgotten architect Catherine Steel, University of Glasgow Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma: a queer slasher about trauma and desire Darren Elliott-Smith, University of Stirling

Sunscreen for lakes and dams: could a thin floating layer of nanomaterial shield water from evaporation? Daniel Kwasi Kpeglo, University of South Africa Butterflies are on the move as the planet warms: new research Shawan Chowdhury, Monash University; Aletta Bonn, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research; Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, and Jonathan Lenoir, Université de Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV) Wildfires: why media coverage doesn’t always make the climate connection Doug Specht, University of Westminster Africa’s Greater Horn region is facing a looming polycrisis fueled by conflict, prices, climate and disease Daniel Maxwell, Tufts University; Alex de Waal, Tufts University; Luka Kuol, University of Juba; Merry Fitzpatrick, Tufts University, and Peter Hailey, Tufts University Behind the betel nut smile: the quiet epidemic of oral cancer in Papua New Guinea Nerida Bun, The University of Papua New Guinea How pigeon fanciers are helping scientists understand lung disease Richard Allen, University of Leicester; Louise Wain, University of Leicester, and Mark Spears, University of Dundee Can Ozempic prevent cancer? A doctor explains why the headlines are easy to misread Ziyad Al-Aly, Washington University in St. Louis When a teenager makes the ‘stupid choice’, their brain is working exactly as designed Evelyn Svingen, University of Birmingham Science and Technology Early mammals weren’t all loners, as scientists thought – some already lived in pairs alongside the dinosaurs Carsten Schradin, Université de Strasbourg; University of the Witwatersrand China is launching a Moon mission to find water ice. It’s unlike anything NASA has done How a ‘psychic’ horse named Clever Hans changed the way we do science Matyáš Moravec, Queen's University Belfast Sam Altman says we’re ‘in the singularity’ with AI. Here’s why he’s wrong Kai Riemer, University of Sydney and Sandra Peter, University of Sydney Business and economy The idea of the ‘company man’ was forged decades ago. Its problems still haunt leaders today Claire Wright, University of Technology Sydney These 3 charts show female-dominated jobs are actually the most exposed to AI Leonora Risse, Queensland University of Technology and Elise Stephenson, Australian National University Why you should live your life like an accountant – and how you probably already do Jack Campbell, Dublin City University Featuring Trump on US coins and bills would put America in rare company Jacques Hymans, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; University of Southern California The Conversation Weekly Podcast How Ukraine is bringing the war home to Russia Isabella Podwinski, The Conversation and Justin Bergman, The Conversation From Count Binface to AI Steve: why are we voting for joke candidates? Isabella Podwinski, The Conversation and Justin Bergman, The Conversation How do we know what dinosaurs looked like? Why Javier Milei’s inflation ‘miracle’ in Argentina is more of a mirage Most read this week 1 . Correcting the map: How a UN resolution marks a step toward decolonizing world maps Sébastien Caquard, Concordia University Correcting the map: How a UN resolution marks a step toward decolonizing world maps Sébastien Caquard, Concordia University 2 . New world map makes Africa look bigger: what’s the fuss about? Cartographers explain Jack Swab, University of Tennessee and Derek H. Alderman, University of Tennessee New world map makes Africa look bigger: what’s the fuss about? Cartographers explain Jack Swab, University of Tennessee and Derek H. Alderman, University of Tennessee 3 . How ‘egalitarian’ Sweden became more comfortable with wealth Håkan Johansson, Lund University and Axel Vikström, Lund University How ‘egalitarian’ Sweden became more comfortable with wealth Håkan Johansson, Lund University and Axel Vikström, Lund University 4 . What we forget when we remember 9/11 Stephanie A. (Sam) Martin, Boise State University What we forget when we remember 9/11 Stephanie A. (Sam) Martin, Boise State University 5 . The failure to stop 9/11 was a catastrophe. But even bigger mistakes were made in its aftermath Greg Barton, Deakin University The failure to stop 9/11 was a catastrophe. But even bigger mistakes were made in its aftermath Greg Barton, Deakin University 6 . Sex with 1,000 men in 12 hours: why Bonnie Blue is neither a feminist nor a monster Lexi Eikelboom, Australian Catholic University Sex with 1,000 men in 12 hours: why Bonnie Blue is neither a feminist nor a monster Lexi Eikelboom, Australian Catholic University